How to protect seniors from phone scams targeting the elderly

Helen (not her real name) was a retired high school computer science teacher who considered herself tech savvy.

One day she received an alert on her home computer that a virus had been detected in its systems. Concerned, she called the number in the pop-up window, and a friendly voice told her they could resolve the issue for a few hundred dollars. She gave them her credit card number, along with remote access to her computer.

You can guess what happened next. “The problem is bigger than we thought”—the scammer needed an additional $500. Helen OK’d the charge. By the third request, she grew suspicious and canceled her credit card. But the damage was done. Arguably, the scammers hadn’t “stolen” anything: Helen had willingly handed over her personal data—and money.

When Helen told her daughter Jeannie what had transpired, Jeannie was appalled. She shared a Federal Trade Commission article about how to spot a tech support scam with her mom, who admitted that this was exactly what had happened.

This is just one story, and it could happen to anyone. Here are some elderly phone scam solutions to help protect your loved ones from phone fraud.

How to talk with elders about phone scams

Phone safety joins the ranks of identity theft and property protection as an area in which the families of seniors need to be vigilant. Your parents or grandparents grew up in a different era, when a phone was a useful tool to stay in touch with friends and relatives, or for emergencies. It wasn’t an extra appendage for ordering everything from dinner to a driver, or to text continuously, or to upload countless pictures to social media.

Of course, kids have always played pranks, so your elders are probably familiar with phone shenanigans, where someone hangs up after saying something strange or off-color. But they may not be aware of how scammers attempt to defraud them over the phone.

You might use the analogy of reading the fine print. Remind your mom (if she has a sense of humor) about that time she sent away for a “free” beauty product that only cost shipping and handling—but would continue to bill her credit card monthly unless she canceled before the first shipment. The company cleverly hid this requirement in the “Terms & Conditions,” which most people don’t read, so she lost $100 by not canceling immediately.

Phone scammers are similar to fine print: They hide the truth of what they do—and use fear or fantastic offers to lure unsuspecting elders in.

Common elderly phone scams

Here are eight common scams. The best prevention is knowledge, so share these with your older loved ones. They’ll be better equipped to identify a potential scam and let you know if they receive such a call, so you can act.

1. “Grandma, can you loan me some money?” A scammer will place a call to an older person and say something along the lines of, “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer sounds most like, the scammer has effortlessly established a fake identity. Now they can ask for money with confidence, because granny always says yes.

   What to do: If a senior thinks the caller might actually be their grandchild, they can say, “Oh honey, I’m right in the middle of something. Give me your number and I’ll call you back.” A scammer will either hang up or try again to get you to guess their name. Hang up and report it. (A fun thing to do is show your loved one the movie “Thelma.” This comedy was inspired by a phone scam experienced by the writer-director’s grandmother.)

2. “Someone may have stolen your Social Security number!” Many seniors depend on their Social Security income, so hearing that their Social Security number has been compromised is bound to be very upsetting. The scammer, posing as a Social Security Administration employee, asks them to verify their number to ensure it’s really them.

   What to do: The Social Security Administration (SSA) will never phone to ask someone to verify their SSA number. If your older family member has been subjected to this type of scam, call the SSA fraud hotline at (800) 269-0271 or contact the Office of the Inspector General at ssa.gov/oig.

3. “It’s me (phone Clone!) and I’m in trouble.” This could be the plot of a sci-fi movie: a fraudster uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and clones one of your family member’s voices, so it really sounds like a relative. Unfortunately, voice cloning is one of the scariest phone scams, because it’s human nature to want to help a loved one who’s in trouble.

   What to do: If anything sounds suspicious—perhaps a request for a wire transfer, credit card number or something out of the ordinary—coach your senior to say they’ll call them back and promptly hang up. The spammer will likely try to keep the conversation going with some baloney about why they can’t be reached on their normal phone number. This alone should heighten suspicion. Even if they’ve been arrested and had their phone confiscated, they can share the precinct number, which can be called back to verify the situation.

4. “You’ve won our sweepstakes!” Though sweepstakes and lottery scams are old news, seniors still fall for them—along with the scammer’s request that they provide bank data so the winnings/taxes/shipping costs can be directly deposited into their account.

   What to do: Everyone dreams of winning big, but it’s unbelievable to win a contest that was never entered. Sweepstakes winners usually get an official letter in the mail or a knock on their door from someone carrying a giant check.

5. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” The most reprehensible scams prey on the bereaved by attempting to sell expensive memorial services and mementoes.

   What to do: It’s difficult to think clearly while grieving. Enlist the help of a trusted family member or friend to handle funeral arrangements and field phone calls—just say “no” to calls from strangers.

6. “You didn’t pay your electric bill.” Nobody wants to risk having a utility shut off or damage their credit rating.

   What to do: Advise your senior to never give credit card or banking information to anyone who calls them. If they believe they may have skipped a payment, they should hang up and call the customer support number printed on their bill.

7. “You owe the IRS money and must pay now.” Scammers posing as IRS officials with fake names and credentials call to scare the elderly with aggressive threats. If they don’t wire funds or pay promptly with bank gift cards, they’ll be deported, sent to prison or have their driver’s license revoked.

   What to do: Explain to your loved one that the first notice about any tax problem is generally a letter mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. Granted, that letter may have gotten lost in the mail, but collection case workers are IRS civil enforcement employees who will help taxpayers understand their rights and tax obligations. They don’t bully them over the phone to make an immediate payment./p>

8. “I love you—please send money.” Romance scams often begin through social networking sites, chat rooms or dating apps. Fraudsters create phony profiles complete with fake photos to build relationships. First come texts, then come emails and phone calls, then comes the ask for money to pay for an emergency surgery, a ticket to meet in person, bail, funds to secure a visa, a great investment opportunity. The FTC reported that romance scam losses in 2023 totaled $1.18 billion!

   What to do: If you suspect your parent’s new heart-throbber is really a heart robber, caution them to never send money to anyone they haven’t met in person. Offer to do some online investigating—a reverse image search of a profile photo may reveal different names and information.

Other ways to help protect elders

Getting wise to scammers’ tricks is a great start. After all, knowledge is power. Here are a few additional ways to help protect elders:

• Look for online resources and tech training as another protection against phone scams. Many communities offer classes taught by experts with experience working with seniors who are technology novices.
• Install a home phone service with robust call blocking features, like Ooma Premier, to thwart scammers. Ooma Premier offers Contacts-only Calling, our most restrictive call blocking setting, which guarantees that your senior will only receive calls from people on their Ooma Contacts list, so spam and fraud calls can’t get through.
• Make sure your loved ones are comfortable with, and know how to use, their phone. The Ooma Senior Phone Bundle has three cordless phones with large numbers and an extra-loud ringer. The base includes pre-programmed buttons for 911 and Ooma support, and has two additional buttons to program with frequently dialed numbers. It can also be set up so that when they dial 911 from those phones, a text and/or email alert will automatically be sent to three people.

Sharing is caring

It can definitely be embarrassing to admit to being tricked by a fraudster, but every shared experience can serve as a cautionary tale. They may even help authorities nab a fraudster. Encourage anyone who loses money in a phone scam to report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It’s important to note the actual number that appears on caller ID, as well as any number the scammer has asked them to call back. That’s because some scammers spoof, or camouflage, a number to make it appear local and legitimate.